Miners in Utah made an average $62,877 in 2006, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services. In contrast, working in construction pays an average $35,512; working in leisure and hospitality pays $14,330 on average.

But with the salary comes a high-risk occupation, even today. At least three of the six miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine are immigrants from Mexico.

In Utah's biggest mining tragedy, 200 people were killed in the 1900 Scofield mine disaster. At least 62 of the victims were Finnish, Notarianni said. And several Greek and Italian miners were killed in a 1924 explosion at the Castle Gate Mine, he said.

Frank Cordova, director of the Utah Coalition of La Raza, said his father and some brothers worked in coal mining before moving to other fields. As established workers move out, Cordova said, it's often immigrants who move in.

"It's very dangerous, and very unhealthy," Cordova said. "My dad, he got black lung. ... It didn't kill him but it was one of his health problems."

Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich, D-Price, knows first-hand the risk that miners take. His father and grandfather were both immigrants from the former Yugoslavia and both died working in mines. Dmitrich has worked in the mining industry for 30 years, the first three as a miner.

"In a lot of cases, I think you are born into it," he said. "In a lot of cases it's a very lucrative living. ... It provides a better living than the average, and it's kind of enjoyable."

Dmitrich said the industry has come a long way in safety, with additions such as better ventilation and tunnel support. Still, accidents happen. And when they do, the entire mining community feels it, regardless of state boundaries.

"When you know someone is trapped underground, it touches you," he said. "They'll go after them and they'll retrieve them. ... It's a very sad day in the mining community."

Dmitrich said mining has traditionally brought diversity to Utah. According to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, minorities comprise 13.4 percent of Carbon County's population and 9.1 percent of Emery County's.

"There were a lot of Italians, a lot of Greeks. ... In the Scofield mine the majority were from Finland," Dmitrich said. "That's why we got that real broad ethnic population in Carbon County."

Along with that diversity comes a sense of camaraderie, he said, adding, "Miners have that love for each other, they protect each other regardless of race, religion or whatever."

---

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com